


Who You Are

by Merelymine



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Couch Cuddles, Drinking, F/F, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Kissing, Sleepy Cuddles, movies - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-22
Updated: 2015-11-22
Packaged: 2018-05-02 22:36:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5266370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merelymine/pseuds/Merelymine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I still don’t understand,” she says, leaning on Kara heavily as she locks the door behind them before tossing her broom and pointy hat to the floor.  Kara has no idea what she’s talking about, but considering the fact that Atlee didn’t speak for most of the trip back, hanging over Kara’s shoulder in a fireman’s carry and humming nonsense, Kara doesn’t think she can be expected to randomly pick up whatever thread of conversation Atlee is grabbing at.</p><p>“Yes, and I’m sure that has nothing to do with the fact that you drank five cups of spiked punch at the party,” Kara says, grinning down at her.</p><p>or</p><p>Couch-cuddling at it's finest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Who You Are

**Author's Note:**

> Set sometime during the Power Girl solo series.

Kara manages to maneuver a squirmy Atlee into her apartment, shutting the door before dropping her to her feet.

“I still don’t understand,” she says, leaning on Kara heavily as she locks the door behind them before tossing her broom and pointy hat to the floor. Kara has no idea what she’s talking about, but considering the fact that Atlee didn’t speak for most of the trip back, hanging over Kara’s shoulder in a fireman’s carry and humming nonsense, Kara doesn’t think she can be expected to randomly pick up whatever thread of conversation Atlee is grabbing at.

“Yes, and I’m sure that has nothing to do with the fact that you drank five cups of spiked punch at the party,” Kara says, grinning down at her.

Atlee blinks back up at her, the painted-black nose and whiskers drawn on her cheeks making her even more adorable than normal. “There were spikes in the punch?”

Kara laughs, kicking off her boots and steering Atlee to the bathroom so they can both wash off their makeup. “No, there was _alcohol_ in the punch. Which you drank quite a lot of.”

Atlee gasps, covering her mouth with her hands and stopping dead in the center of the hallway. “ _Alcohol?”_

“Yes,” Kara says, patiently. “That’s why you feel funny.”

“I _do_ feel funny!” Atlee spins around, eyes wide with surprise. The wire-form tail on the back of her costume thwacks Kara in the leg. “How did you know? Oh no! Can you tell just by looking at me?” and with that she rushes into the bathroom.

When Kara follows her in she finds Atlee leaning over the sink, face pressed so close to the mirror that she’s almost touching it.

“You look normal,” Kara says, moving around her to grab a washcloth. “Now hop up on the counter so I can get that makeup off.”

Atlee settles herself on the edge of the counter while Kara wets the washcloth and puts a little cleanser on it, grinning like she was never worried at all. “I’m a cat. Just like stinky.”

Kara bites her lip. “Yep, you sure are. Now close your eyes.”

Atlee does as she’s told, and Kara carefully removes the little black nose, whiskers, and heavy black eyeliner. “Keep them closed,” she says, before turning to rinse out the cloth. Atlee nods, her face looking strangely empty with her eyes closed and mouth relaxed.

“So, what is it that you don’t understand?” Kara asks, carefully wiping away the soap.

“Huh?” Atlee opens her eyes, blinking in confusion.

“When we came in,” Kara says, turning to the mirror to take off her own makeup, black eyeliner and lipstick that come off pretty easily. “You said that you didn’t understand something…?”

“Oh!” She tugs at the ears attached to the headband on her head. “This whole Halloween thing, with the costumes and candy. I don’t get it.”

Kara splashes water on her face and reaches for a towel. “Yeah, but as soon as I told you about it, you practically drug me to the office party.”

“Because it’s a party!” Atlee’s tone is almost teenager levels of disdain, like she can’t believe that Kara doesn’t understand, and Kara has to hide her smile in the towel as she dries her face.

“Besides,” Atlee continues, “your friends were all happy to see you there.”

Kara wants to say _“they’re my employees, not my friends,”_ but she finds that it’s not true, it’s just that she knows been trying way too hard to distance herself from them since that whole thing went down with the embezzlement and the company almost falling apart.

She sighs. “Okay, okay, you’re right. I’m glad you made me go, I had fun.” _At least until you got yourself smashed and started playing with the decorative rocks in the potted plants,_ she doesn’t add, because Atlee is grinning at her, big and sleepy and pleased. And still fairly drunk.

“So come on; I’ll find you something to sleep in and we can watch scary movies for the rest of the night and eat candy and popcorn.”

Atlee, who had gasped and covered her eyes at the mention of scary movies, peers between her fingers and says, cautiously, “I like candy and popcorn.”

Tank tops and pajama pants are achieved, and soon they’re sitting on the couch, bowls of candy and popcorn laid out on the low table in front of them, watching some terrible movie marathon on cable.

It’s a bad movie, horrible special effects and a monstrous werewolf who looks like he was made out of someone’s old shag carpeting, but the first time someone pops out of nowhere Atlee squeals, burying her head in Kara’s shoulder and almost dumping out the popcorn.

Kara laughs, putting the bowl back on the table and patting Atlee on the head.

They stay like that for the rest of the show, pressed together, Atlee alternately trying to hide against her and sitting up, leaning towards the tv to yell helpful things to the werewolf’s victims.

“That was scary!” she says when the movie finishes, head on Kara’s shoulder and her words slurred and drowsy.

“But you enjoyed it.”

“Yes.”

Kara leans her head against Atlee’s, soft hair against her cheek. “Are you still confused about Halloween?”

Kara can practically feel her frowning. “Maybe. I just don’t understand why it was so much fun to dress up and wear a costume. We wear costumes every day!”

“Yeah, but that’s different. On Halloween you get to pretend you’re someone else. Someone you can’t really be.” She purposefully doesn’t try to explain the way some people take it as an opportunity to wear as little clothing as they can get away with—she doesn’t think Atlee would understand that at all.

Atlee pulls away to look at her, her eyes wide and dark in the dimly lit room as her fingers pluck distractedly at the edge of Kara’s shirt. “I guess so. I mean, it was fun dressing up like a cat, but I could never _be_ a cat.”

Kara nods. “Sometimes people just like to get away from who they are, even if it’s just one night of the year.”

Atlee tilts her head to the side. It’s the expression she gets when she’s trying hard to understand some quirk of human culture but hasn’t quite made it there yet. People are far too deceiving, about themselves and about the things they do, for her to every really grasp.

“But it doesn’t make you a different person. The clothes don’t change who you are they just—“ She slides her hands under Kara’s shirt, pressing them to her stomach—“—cover it up.”

Atlee’s hands are warm on her skin; she’s leaning in close in order to touch her, and it’s so unconsciously appealing that it makes Kara’s breath catch. Makes her reach out and put her own hands on Atlee’s shoulders, sliding over bare skin.

“You know who I am,” she says, the words spilling out of her mouth like it’s the only thing she could possibly say.

“You’re Kara. You’re my best friend.” Atlee’s hands move, curving around to pet down Kara’s sides and bringing them closer. “I feel warm,” Atlee says faintly, her cheeks pink and a confused little frown scrunching up her brow. Kara’s hands flex against her shoulders.

“And you’re Atlee,” Kara responds, and there’s so much more to those three words than she ever really thought. She moves her hands slowly down Atlee’s back, pulling her in without really thinking about what she’s doing, until their faces are so close that she can see the three freckles on Atlee’s nose and all of her individual eyelashes.

Atlee sighs, her eyes closing, and Kara feels something warm and sweet twist up her stomach. She can’t help the kiss, when it comes.

Atlee’s lips are warm, full and plush, and Kara feels Atlee’s fingers tense up on her back for a moment before she relaxes, tentatively applying pressure back.

Kara hasn’t kissed anyone like this in a long time, sweet, closed-mouth kisses that shift and move but don’t deepen. Atlee presses against her, presses her back until Kara shifts, leaning against the pillows stacked at the arm of the couch and pulling Atlee down too.

Atlee gasps, surprised, but Kara doesn’t take the opportunity of her open mouth to do anything but change the kiss a little, to slot their open mouths together in a different way. She brings her hands up to frame Atlee’s face, pushing her hands into her soft hair and reveling in the way it feels between her fingers.

It's perfect. Kara loses track of time as they kiss, sweet and unhurried, slowing down as they sink into the couch. Another scary movie starts up on the TV across the room, but they don't move. Kara is warm all over, deep in her bones and languid with it. Her lips catch against Atlee's with slow deliberation, because every move is taking all of her energy and she doesn't want this to stop. It's inevitable, though, like trying to fight the dawn away, and between one kiss and another Kara feels herself drifting off, feels Atlee snuggle down onto her. Curling in and pressing her face into her neck.

“Kara,” she sighs, hums happily against Kara's skin.

Kara brushes her hair back one more time, kisses the top of her head.

“Sleep,” she whispers, and they do.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr @ [merelymine](http://merelymine.tumblr.com)


End file.
